Systems and methods for data management

ABSTRACT

An audio system and method for data management including establishing a first connection between a first wearable audio device and a first peripheral device, the first wearable device or the first peripheral device being operational in a critical listening state and a non-critical listening state; establishing, when the first wearable audio device or the first peripheral device is in the critical listening state, a first data stream within the first connection, the first data stream established using a first communication protocol, the first communication protocol having an audio-centric data slot template; and, establishing, when the first wearable device or the first peripheral device is in the non-critical listening state, the first data stream within the first connection, the first data stream established using the first communication protocol, the first communication protocol having a voice-centric data slot template.

BACKGROUND

Aspects and implementations of the present disclosure are generallydirected to systems and methods for managing communications betweenelectronic devices, for example, wearable audio devices and peripheraldevices.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managingbandwidth/bit rate allocation of data within bi-directional dataconnections and communications. In one example, the bi-directionalcommunications simultaneously send and receive voice data and audiodata. The present disclosure is directed to methods and systems forswitching between data slot templates used in these communications toreallocate bandwidth/bit rates of information as needed by a user whilethe user is in a critical listening state or a non-critical listeningstate.

In one aspect there is provided a method of data management, the methodincluding: establishing a first connection between a first wearableaudio device and a first peripheral device, the first wearable device orthe first peripheral device being operational in a critical listeningstate and a non-critical listening state; establishing, when the firstwearable audio device or the first peripheral device is in the criticallistening state, a first data stream within the first connection, thefirst data stream established using a first communication protocol, thefirst communication protocol having an audio-centric data slot template;and, establishing, when the first wearable device or the firstperipheral device is in the non-critical listening state, the first datastream within the first connection, the first data stream establishedusing the first communication protocol, the first communication protocolhaving a voice-centric data slot template.

In an aspect, the first wearable audio device or first peripheral devicefurther comprises a first sensor arranged to receive a voice input.

In an aspect, the method further includes: transitioning the firstwearable audio device or first peripheral device from the criticallistening state to the non-critical listening state when the firstsensor receives the voice input.

In an aspect, the transitioning occurs over a plurality of data frames.

In an aspect, the method further includes: decreasing, via an audioencoder of the first wearable audio device, a bit rate of a first audiodata when the first sensor receives the voice input.

In an aspect, the audio-centric data slot template or the voice-centricdata slot template comprises at least one slot corresponding to sensordata from another sensor located on or in the portable electronicdevice.

In an aspect, the audio-centric data slot template and the voice-centricdata slot template comprise a plurality of data slots, where each dataslot is associated with voice data obtained from a sensor on the firstperipheral device or the first wearable audio device, or audio dataobtained from the first peripheral device.

In an aspect, the audio-centric data slot template comprises a firstdata slot corresponding to a first audio data, a second data slotcorresponding to a second audio data, and a third data slotcorresponding to a first voice data.

In an aspect, the voice-centric data slot template comprises a firstdata slot corresponding to a first audio data, a second data slotcorresponding to a first voice data, and a third data slot correspondingto a second voice data.

In an aspect, the first peripheral device includes a first processor anda first memory arranged to execute and store, respectively, a set ofnon-transitory computer readable instructions, the first memory furtherarranged to store the audio-centric data slot template and thevoice-centric data slot template.

In an aspect, the first peripheral device is arranged to send a controlpacket to the first wearable audio device indicating that the firstperipheral device is using the audio-centric data slot template or thevoice-centric data slot template.

In an aspect, there is provided an audio system for managing data, thesystem including: a first wearable audio device and a first peripheraldevice, the first peripheral device arranged to connect, via a firstconnection, to the first wearable audio device, the first connectioncomprising a first data stream over a first protocol, the first datastream arranged to utilize a voice-centric data slot template or anaudio-centric data slot template. The first peripheral device and thefirst wearable audio device are arranged to operate in a criticallistening state or a non-critical listening state where the criticallistening state corresponds with the audio-centric data slot templateand the non-critical listening state corresponds with the voice-centricdata slot template.

In an aspect, the first wearable audio device or first peripheral devicefurther comprises a first sensor arranged to receive a voice input.

In an aspect, the first wearable audio device and the first peripheraldevice are arranged to transition from the critical listening state tothe non-critical listening state when the first sensor receives thevoice input.

In an aspect, the transition occurs over a plurality of data frames.

In an aspect, the first wearable audio device comprises an audioencoder, the audio encoder arranged to decrease a bit rate of a firstaudio data when the first sensor receives the voice input.

In an aspect, the audio-centric data slot template and the voice-centricdata slot template comprise a plurality of data slots, where each dataslot is associated with voice data obtained from a sensor on the firstperipheral device or the first wearable audio device, or audio dataobtained from the first peripheral device.

In an aspect, the audio-centric data slot template comprises a firstdata slot corresponding to a first audio data, a second data slotcorresponding to a second audio data, and a third data slotcorresponding to a first voice data.

In an aspect, the voice-centric data slot template comprises a firstdata slot corresponding to a first audio data, a second data slotcorresponding to a first voice data, and a third data slot correspondingto a second voice data.

In an aspect, the audio-centric data slot template or the voice-centricdata slot template comprises at least one slot corresponding to sensordata from another sensor located on or in the portable electronicdevice.

In an aspect, the first peripheral device includes a first processor anda first memory arranged to execute and store, respectively, a set ofnon-transitory computer readable instructions, the first memory furtherarranged to store the audio-centric data slot template and thevoice-centric data slot template.

In an aspect, the first peripheral device is arranged to send a datafrom a control slot to the first wearable audio device indicating thatthe first peripheral device is using the audio-centric data slottemplate or the voice-centric data slot template.

These and other aspects of the various embodiments will be apparent fromand elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) describedhereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the sameparts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed uponillustrating the principles of the various embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrated of an audio system according to thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a peripheral device according tothe present disclosure.

FIG. 3A is a schematic illustration of the electronic components of awearable audio device according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B is a schematic illustration of the electronic components of aperipheral device according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4A is a schematic illustration of an audio-centric data slottemplate according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4B is a schematic illustration of a voice-centric data slottemplate according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4C is a schematic illustration of an audio-centric data slottemplate according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4D is a schematic illustration of a voice-centric data slottemplate according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4E is a schematic illustration of a sensor-centric data slottemplate according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4F is a schematic illustration of a sensor-centric data slottemplate according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a plurality of data slot templatesover a plurality of data slot frames according to the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of a method according tothe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managingbandwidth/bit rate allocation of data within bi-directional dataconnections and communications. In one example, the bi-directionalcommunications simultaneously send and receive voice data and audiodata. The present disclosure is directed to methods and systems forswitching between data slot templates used in these communications toreallocate bandwidth/bit rates of information as needed by a user whilethe user is in a critical listening state or a non-critical listeningstate.

The term “wearable audio device”, as used in this application, isintended to mean a device that fits around, on, in, or near an ear(including open-ear audio devices worn on the head or shoulders of auser) and that radiates acoustic energy into or towards the ear.Wearable audio devices are sometimes referred to as headphones,earphones, earpieces, headsets, earbuds or sport headphones, and can bewired or wireless. A wearable audio device includes an acoustic driverto transduce audio signals to acoustic energy. The acoustic driver maybe housed in an earcup. While some of the figures and descriptionsfollowing may show a single wearable audio device, having a pair ofearcups (each including an acoustic driver) it should be appreciatedthat a wearable audio device may be a single stand-alone unit havingonly one earcup. Each earcup of the wearable audio device may beconnected mechanically to another earcup or headphone, for example by aheadband and/or by leads that conduct audio signals to an acousticdriver in the ear cup or headphone. A wearable audio device may includecomponents for wirelessly receiving audio signals. A wearable audiodevice may include components of an active noise reduction (ANR) system.Wearable audio devices may also include other functionality such as amicrophone so that they can function as a headset. While FIG. 1 shows anexample of an around-ear headset, in other examples the headset may bean in-ear, on-ear, around-ear, or near-ear headset. In some examples, awearable audio device may be an open-ear device that includes anacoustic driver to radiate acoustic energy towards the ear while leavingthe ear open to its environment and surroundings.

The following description should be read in view of FIGS. 1-3B. FIG. 1is a schematic view of audio system 100 according to the presentdisclosure. Audio system 100 includes a first wearable audio device 102and first peripheral device 104 discussed below. Although illustrated inFIG. 1 as a pair of over-ear headphones, it should be appreciated thatfirst wearable audio device 102 could be any type of headphone orwearable device capable of establishing a wireless or wired dataconnection with first device 104. It should also be appreciated thatfirst wearable audio device 102 may include a pair of over-earheadphones having a right ear cup R and a left earcup L as will bediscussed below. Furthermore, during operation of audio system 100, bothaudio data 132 (discussed below) and voice data 130 (discussed below)can be provided to the user through the right earcup R and/or the leftear cup L.

First wearable audio device 102 includes at least one speaker, i.e.,first speaker 106 and first communication module 108 (shown in FIGS. 1and 3A). Although not illustrated, it should be appreciated that eachearcup of first wearable audio device 102 may have a respective speaker.First speaker 106 is arranged to produce first audio signal 110 (notshown) proximate at least one ear of a user in response to audio data offirst data stream 150, discussed below, which is sent and/or receivedfrom first communication module 108. First communication module 108 isarranged to send and/or receive data via an antenna, e.g., first antenna112 as shown in FIG. 3A. The data sent and/or received can be, e.g.,audio data from first data stream 150 (discussed below) or data relatingto voice input 122 (shown in FIG. 3A) sent and/or received from aplurality of external devices, e.g., first device 104. It should beappreciated, that first communication module 108 can be operativelyconnected to processor 114 (shown in FIG. 3A) and first memory 116(shown in FIG. 3A) operatively arranged to execute and store a first setof non-transitory computer-readable instructions 118 (shown in FIG. 3A),as well as a battery or other power source (not shown).

Furthermore, first wearable audio device 102 includes first sensor 120arranged to receive a voice input 122 (shown in FIG. 3A) from a user. Aswill be discussed below in the operation of system 100, first sensor 120can be in an active state 124 (not shown) or an inactive state 126 (notshown). When in active state 124, first sensor 120 is arranged toreceive voice input 122 and provide voice input 122 to firstcommunication module 108. First sensor 120 is intended to be amicrophone arranged on, in, or proximate to first wearable audio device102; however, it should be appreciated that first sensor 120 can be anysensor capable of detecting the presence or absence of human speech of auser, e.g., a Voice Activity Detection (VAD) sensor. In one example, anadditional sensor 128 (show in FIG. 3A) is provided, where additionalsensor 128 is located on, in, or in proximity to first wearable device102, could also be selected from: a mechanical button, a touchcapacitive sensor, a slidable switch, a pressure or deformation sensor,an Electrooculography (EOG) sensor, an Electromyography (EMG) sensor, anElectrocardiogram (EKG/ECG) sensor, a piezoelectric sensor, anelectrically active film, Voice Activity Detection (VAD) sensor, or anyother sensor that can translate and transmit physiological events thattake place on or in a user's body to wearable audio device 102. Itshould be appreciated that this additional sensor could be usedindependently or in conjunction with first sensor 120 to switch firstwearable audio device 102 from the inactive state 126 to the activestate 124.

First sensor 120 is arranged to obtain voice data 130 (schematicallyshown in FIGS. 3A and 3B) and relay voice data 130 to firstcommunication module 108. Voice data 130 can be utilized to switch firstsensor 120 (or second sensor 144 of first device 104, discussed below)from an inactive state 126 (not receiving and/or recording a voiceinput, i.e., voice input 122) to an active state 124 capable ofreceiving and/or transmitting voice input 122 to, e.g., first memory 116of first wearable audio device 102. In one example, if first sensor 120or additional sensor 128 detects sufficient sound energy levels from auser's speech or detects sufficient motion of a user's jaw or head thatwould indicate that the user is speaking, first sensor 120 is arrangedto communicate with first communication module 108 to switch firstsensor 120 from a default inactive state 126 to an active state 124capable of receiving and transmitting first voice input 122 and voicedata 130 to, e.g., first memory 116 so that it may subsequently beutilized by system 100 over the various connections described below. Itshould be appreciated that first sensor 120 or second sensor 144 (shownin FIGS. 2 and 3B) can be utilized to obtain voice input 122 and voicedata 130. In some examples, first sensor 120 or second sensor 144 can bein an “always on” or always active state. Additionally, firstcommunication module 108 is further arranged to send and receive audiodata 132. Audio data 132 is intended to contain information which can beutilized by speaker 106 to produce audio signal 110, for example, musicdata or data relating to the voice of another person received over atelephone call or a video call.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front schematic view of first device 104 accordingto the present disclosure. First device 104 includes secondcommunication module 134 (shown in FIG. 3B) arranged to send and/orreceived data, e.g., audio data 132 related to first data stream 150(discussed below) or data related to first voice input 122, via a secondantenna 136 (shown in FIG. 3B). First device 104 further includes secondprocessor 138 (shown in FIG. 3B) and second memory 140 (shown in FIG.3B) arranged to execute and store a second set of non-transitorycomputer-readable instructions 142 (shown in FIG. 3B). Additionally,first device 104 can include a second sensor, i.e., second sensor 144arranged to receive first voice input 122.

First communication module 108 of first wearable audio device 102 and/orsecond communication module 134 of first peripheral device 104 arearranged to establish a simultaneous bi-directional communicationconnection, i.e., first connection 146, to send voice data 130 and audiodata 132 between first wearable audio device 102 and first peripheraldevice 104. The term “bi-directional” is intended to mean a singleconnection, protocol, or data stream that simultaneously transfers voicedata 130 and audio data 132 between two devices. First connection 146between first wearable audio device 102 and first peripheral device 104is established via a first protocol, i.e., first communication protocol148. It should be appreciated that first communication protocol 148 canbe established using any wired or wireless protocols known in the art,for example, first communication protocol 148 can be selected from: aBluetooth Classic protocol (i.e., Bluetooth Basic Rate/Enhanced DataRate (BR/EDR)), a Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) protocol, a ZigBeeprotocol, a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) protocol, Near-field Magnetic Induction(NFMI), Near-Field Electromagnetic Induction (NFEMI), or any otherprotocol for establishing a wireless connection between first wearableaudio device 102 and first peripheral device 104. Additionally, firstcommunication protocol 148 can include multiple profiles arranged toallow for the bi-directional communication connection discussed herein,where the profiles are selected from: Advanced Audio DistributionProfile (A2DP), Attribute Profile (ATT), Audio/Video Remote ControlProfile (AVRCP), Basic Imaging Profile (BIP), Basic Printing Profile(BPP), Common ISDN Access Profile (CIP), Cordless Telephony Profile(CTP), Device ID Profile (DIP), Dial-up Networking Profile (DUN), FaxProfile (FAX), File Transfer Profile (FTP), Generic Audio/VideoDistribution Profile (GAVDP), Generic Access Profile (GAP), GenericAttribute Profile (GATT), Generic Object Exchange Profile (GOEP), HardCopy Cable Replacement Profile (HCRP), Health Device Profile (HDP),Hands-Free Profile (HFP), Human Interface Device Profile (HID), HeadsetProfile (HSP), Intercom Profile (ICP), LAN Access Profile (LAP), MeshProfile (MESH), Message Access Profile (MAP), OBject EXchange (OBEX),Object Push Profile (OPP), Personal Area Networking Profile (PAN), PhoneBook Access Profile (PBAP, PBA), Proximity Profile (PXP), Serial PortProfile (SPP), Service Discovery Application Profile (SDAP), SIM AccessProfile (SAP, SIM, rSAP), Synchronization Profile (SYNCH),Synchronization Mark-up Language Profile (SyncML), Video DistributionProfile (VDP), Wireless Application Protocol Bearer (WAPB), iAP (similarto SPP but only compatible with iOS), or any suitable Bluetooth Classicprofile or Bluetooth Low-Energy profile that is capable of establishingthe bi-directional communications discussed herein.

Audio system 100 is arranged to transmit data, e.g., voice data 130and/or audio data 132, via a first data stream 150 established betweenfirst wearable audio device 102 and first peripheral device 104 using,where the first data stream 150 is established over first connection 146and the first connection 146 utilizes first communication protocol 148.Within first data stream 150, the wireless communications sent andreceived between first wearable audio device 102 and first peripheraldevice 104 with first communication protocol 148 contain a plurality ofpackets of information, i.e., discrete sets of data over a plurality offrames, i.e., plurality of data frames 152 (shown in FIG. 5). Each dataframe includes a predefined number of slots, i.e., plurality of dataslots 154, where each slot of plurality of data slots 154 can correspondto a predefined type of data. For example, each slot may include or beassociated with one of: audio5 data 132 corresponding to a left ear cupL, audio data 132 corresponding to a right earcup R, voice data 130corresponding to a left earcup L, voice data 130 corresponding to aright earcup R, or control information. Each potential combination orconfiguration of these slot types defines a data slot template of aplurality of data slot templates 156 (shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B).Additionally, a data slot template with a fixed number of data slots inany given data frame has a limited bit rate, i.e., the maximum bit rateof total information transferred corresponds directly to the totalnumber of data slots in the template. Furthermore, in a data slottemplate with a fixed number of data slots in a bi-directionalcommunication connection, e.g., first connection 146, the bit ratecorresponding to voice data 130 and audio data 132 is also limited bythe number of slots assigned to each data type. Thus, by increasing thenumber of slots within a given data slot template associated with audiodata 132, the bit rate of audio data 132 increases. Similarly, byincreasing the number of slots within a given data slot templateassociated with voice data 130, the bit rate of voice data 130increases. Alternatively, the bit rates within each slot can bemodified, e.g., in a data slot template with a fixed number of dataslots in a bi-direction communication connection, i.e., firstcommunication connection 146, it may be desirable to limit the maximumbit rate within the slots corresponding to voice data 130, or limit themaximum bit rate within the slots corresponding to audio data 132, forexample in the critical listening state 176 and the non-criticallistening state 178, discussed below. The increase or decrease in bitrate of any given piece of data or any data within any given slotdiscussed herein, may be implemented by an audio encoder AE (shown inFIGS. 3A-3B) within, on, or in connection with first wearable audiodevice 102 or first peripheral device 104.

In one example, first memory 116 of first wearable audio device 102and/or second memory 140 of first peripheral device 104 are arranged tostore a plurality of data slot templates 156. Each data slot template ofthe plurality of data slot templates 156 is intended to correspond to adifferent slot configuration relating to different potentialbandwidth/bit rate allocations within first communication protocol 148,as will be discussed below. Plurality of data slot templates 156 caninclude an audio-centric data slot template 158 and a voice-centric dataslot template 160. Audio-centric data slot template 158 corresponds to apotential bit rate allocation where a larger quantity of the availabledata slots of the plurality of data slots 154 are assigned to, orcorrespond with, slot types containing audio data 132. Similarly,voice-centric data slot template 160 corresponds to a potential bit rateallocation where a larger quantity of the available data slots ofplurality of data slots 154 are assigned to or correspond with slottypes containing voice data 130.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4B, audio-centric data slot template 158 andvoice-centric data slot template 160 can contain plurality or data slots154 within a given data frame (e.g., first data frame 180 discussedbelow) of plurality of data frames 152, e.g., seven individual dataslots where each data slot can be assigned to data corresponding to anyof the slot types discussed above. The slots can include a control slotand six data slots, i.e., control slot 162, first data slot 164, seconddata slot 166, third data slot 168, fourth data slot 170, fifth dataslot 172, and sixth data slot 174. Control slot 162 can include variouscontrol information related to first connection 146 and/or firstcommunication protocol 148 which can be utilized by the devices of audiosystem 100 to establish or maintain first data stream 150 and/or firstconnection 148. For example, control slot 162 may include increment data186 and/or template data 188 as discussed below.

As illustrated in FIG. 4A, audio-centric data slot template 158 can beestablished such that a majority of, or a larger number of, the slots ofthe available plurality of data slots 154 are assigned to or correspondto audio data 132. For example, audio-centric data slot template 158 canhave a control slot 162 as discussed above, and: first data slot 164 canbe assigned to audio data 132 corresponding to a left earcup L; seconddata slot 166 can also be assigned to audio data 132 corresponding to aleft earcup L; third data slot 168 can be assigned to audio data 132corresponding to a right earcup R; fourth data slot 170 can also beassigned to audio data 132 corresponding to a right earcup R; fifth dataslot 172 can be assigned to voice data 130 corresponding to a leftearcup L; and sixth data slot 174 can be assigned to voice data 130corresponding to a right earcup R. In this audio-centric slot template158, there are a total of four data slots, i.e., data slots 162-168,which are assigned to audio data 132, while only two data slots areassigned to voice data 130. It should be appreciated that slots of thesame data type may be fused together, i.e., transmitted together viafirst communication protocol 148. Furthermore, it should be appreciatedthat audio data 132 and/or voice data 130 does not need to be dividedbetween left and right headphones of first wearable audio device 102 asdiscussed above, and that only one earcup/speaker is needed. In theevent only one speaker or earcup is used the foregoing slot assignmentsof audio-centric slot template 158 need only utilize three data slotswhere a majority of the slots, i.e., two slots, are assigned to audiodata 132.

As illustrated in FIG. 4B, voice-centric data slot template 160 can beestablished such that a majority of, or a larger number of, the slots ofthe available plurality of data slots 154 are assigned to or correspondto voice data 130. For example, voice-centric data slot template 160 canhave a control slot 162 as discussed above, and: first data slot 164 canbe assigned to audio data 132 corresponding to a left earcup L; seconddata slot 166 can be assigned to audio data 132 corresponding to a rightearcup R; third data slot 168 can be assigned to voice data 130corresponding to a left earcup L; fourth data slot 170 can also beassigned to voice data 130 corresponding to a left earcup L; fifth dataslot 172 can be assigned to voice data 130 corresponding to a rightearcup R; and sixth data slot 174 can be also be assigned to voice data130 corresponding to a right earcup R. In this voice-centric slottemplate 160, there are a total of four data slots, i.e., data slots168-174, which are assigned to voice data 130, while only two data slotsare assigned to audio data 132. It should be appreciated that slots ofthe same data type may be fused together, i.e., transmitted together viafirst communication protocol 148. Furthermore, it should be appreciatedthat audio data 132 and/or voice data 130 do not need to be dividedbetween left and right earcups of first wearable audio device 102 asdiscussed above, and that only one earcup/speaker is needed. In theevent only one speaker or earcup is used the foregoing slot assignmentsof voice-centric slot template 160 need only utilize three data slotswhere a majority of the slots, i.e., two slots, are assigned to voicedata 130.

In one example, illustrated in FIGS. 4C and 4D, audio-centric data slottemplate 158 and voice-centric data slot template 160 may be arrangedsuch that at least one slot of each respective template corresponds to,or is assigned to, sensor data 133 obtained from additional sensor 128as discussed above. For example, audio-centric data slot template 158can have a control slot 162 as discussed above, and: first data slot 164can be assigned to audio data 132 corresponding to a left earcup L;second data slot 166 can also be assigned to audio data 132corresponding to a right earcup L; third data slot 168 can be assignedto audio data 132 corresponding to the left earcup, right ear cup, orboth ear cups; fourth data slot 170 can be assigned to sensor data 133obtained from additional sensor 128; fifth data slot 172 can be assignedto voice data 130 corresponding to a left earcup L; and sixth data slot174 can be assigned to voice data 130 corresponding to a right earcup R.Thus, audio-centric data slot template 158 contains three slots assignedto audio data 132, one slot assigned to sensor data 133, and two slotsassigned to voice data 130. Additionally, voice-centric data slottemplate 160 can have a control slot 162 as discussed above, and: firstdata slot 164 can be assigned to audio data 132 corresponding to a leftearcup L; second data slot 166 can be assigned to audio data 132corresponding to a right earcup R; third data slot 168 can be assignedto sensor data 133 obtained from additional sensor 128; fourth data slot170 can be assigned to voice data 130 corresponding to a left earcup L,right earcup R, or both ear cups; fifth data slot 172 can be assigned tovoice data 130 corresponding to a right earcup R; and sixth data slot174 can be also be assigned to voice data 130 corresponding to a rightearcup R. Thus, voice-centric data slot template 160 contains threeslots assigned to voice data 130, one slot assigned to sensor data 133,and two slots assigned to audio data 132.

Additionally, it should be appreciated that plurality of data slottemplates 156 may further include a sensor-centric data slot template161. As illustrated in FIGS. 4E and 4F, sensor-centric data slot may bearranged such that the majority of slots within the template correspondto, or are assigned to, sensor data 133 obtained from additional sensor128 and the remaining slots correspond to audio data 132. For example,as illustrated in FIG. 4E, sensor-centric slot template 161 can have acontrol slot 162 as discussed above, and: first data slot 164, seconddata slot 166, third data slot 168; and fourth data slot 170 can beassigned to sensor data 133 obtained from additional sensor 128; fifthdata slot 172 can be assigned to audio data 132 corresponding to a leftearcup L; and sixth data slot 174 can be assigned to audio data 132corresponding to a right earcup R. Thus, sensor-centric data slottemplate 161 contains four slots assigned to sensor data 133 and twoslots assigned to audio data 132. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG.4F, sensor-centric data slot template 161 data slot may be arranged suchthat the majority of slots within the template correspond to, or areassigned to, sensor data 133 obtained from additional sensor 128 and theremaining slots correspond to voice data 130. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 4E, sensor-centric slot template 161 can have acontrol slot 162 as discussed above, and: first data slot 164, seconddata slot 166, third data slot 168; and fourth data slot 170 can beassigned to sensor data 133 obtained from additional sensor 128; fifthdata slot 172 can be assigned to voice data 130 corresponding to a leftearcup L; and sixth data slot 174 can be assigned to voice data 130corresponding to a right earcup R. Thus, sensor-centric data slottemplate 161 contains four slots assigned to sensor data 133 and twoslots assigned to voice data 130.

It should be appreciated that plurality of data slot templates 156 canfurther include slot templates which utilize any conceivable combinationof the slot types discussed above. For example, it is conceivable thatplurality of data slot templates 156 can include and audio-only dataslot template or a voice-only audio data slot template, where all sixdata slots of plurality of data slots 154 are assigned to audio data 132or voice-data 130, respectively. Additionally, a balanced data slottemplate having, e.g., two slots assigned to voice data 130, two slotsassigned to audio data 132 and two slots assigned to sensor data 133 iscontemplated herein.

Presumably, when the user is not speaking, the user would like a higherquality audio experience, i.e., a higher bit rate with respect to audiodata 132. Additionally, while a user is speaking, i.e., when firstwearable audio device 102 or first peripheral device 104 are receivingvoice input 122, it is likely that the user is less concerned with theaudio quality. To account for these interests, the various devicesdiscussed above, e.g., first wearable audio device 102 and firstperipheral device 104 are arranged to operate in a critical listeningstate 176 and a non-critical listening state 178. The critical listeningstate 176 defines a state where no voice input 122 is received and novoice data 130 is being sent and/or received between first wearableaudio device 102 and first peripheral device 104. The non-criticallistening state 178 defines a state of audio system 100 where voiceinput 122 is being received and voice data 130 is being sent and/orreceived between first wearable audio device 102 and first peripheraldevice 104. It should be appreciated that any sensor input discussedherein could be used to indicate when the user would like to transitionbetween listening states, e.g., any input to first sensor 120, secondsensor 144, or additional sensor 128 can act as a triggering event thatindicates that the devices in audio system 100 should switch or begin totransition between listening states.

It should also be appreciated that, while in the critical listeningstate 176 and/or the non-critical listening state 178, an input, e.g.,from additional sensor 128, may act as a triggering event to switchfrom, for example, voice-centric data slot template 160 or audio-centricdata slot template 158 to sensor-centric data slot template 161. Asmentioned above, sensor data 133 obtained from additional sensor 128 mayfor example register a gesture or acceleration of first wearable audiodevice and utilize that data to trigger a switch in data slot templatesas discussed herein. Additionally, although the foregoing description isdirected to bi-directional communications between two devices, i.e.,first wearable audio device 102 and first peripheral device 104 wherethe communications are substantially the same in both directions ofcommunication, it should be appreciated that audio system 100 can bearranged to transmit using any conceivable combination of data slottemplates discussed above in the two directions of communication. Forexample, communications sent from first wearable audio device 102 tofirst peripheral device 104 may utilize, e.g., voice-centric data slottemplate 160 where four of the six data slots are assigned to voice data130 and two slots are assigned to sensor data while communications sentfrom first peripheral device 104 to first wearable audio device 102 mayutilize, e.g., audio-centric data slot template 158.

Furthermore, each device of audio system 100 may be arranged totransition from critical listening state 176 and non-critical listeningstate 178 over plurality of data frames 152. Alternatively, each deviceof audio system 100 may be arranged to transition from noncriticallistening state 178 to critical listening state 176 over plurality ofdata frames 152. In one example, critical listening state 176corresponds to an audio-centric data slot template 158 and non-criticallistening state 178 corresponds to a voice-centric data slot template160. Thus a transition from the critical listening state 176 tonon-critical listening state 178 is effectively a transition fromaudio-centric data slot template 158 to voice-centric data slot template160. For example, plurality of data frames 152 can include first dataframe 180, second data frame 182, and third data frame 184. Each dataframe of plurality of data frames 152 can include a data slot templateof plurality of data slot templates 156, e.g., audio-centric data slottemplate 158 and voice-centric data slot template 160. Importantly,control slot 162 of each data slot template can include increment data186 and/or template data 188 (shown in FIGS. 4A-4B). Increment data 186defines data or information used during the transition of the data slotstemplates discussed above, which indicates to each device of audiosystem 100 which receives data over first communication protocol 148 thenumber of future data frames of plurality of data frames 152 thatcommunications will maintain their current data slot template before aswitch to a different data slot template configuration. Additionally,template data 188 corresponds to a data value which indicates thecurrent data slot template and/or the next data slot template which isto be utilized after the next transition. For example, first data frame180 may correspond to an audio-centric data slot template 158 wherecontrol slot 162 contains increment data 186, where increment datacorresponds to the integer “2,” and template data 188 indicates thecurrent data slot template is an audio-centric data slot template 158and the new data slot template to be used is a voice-centric audio dataslot template 160. During the transition between listening states and/ordata slot templates, discussed herein and schematically illustrated inFIG. 5, each subsequent data frame may decrement the increment data 186one full integer value, and when increment data 186 equals “0” everydevice currently using the audio-centric data slot template 158 willbegin to use voice-centric data slot template 160. It should beappreciated that template data 188 may be stored within each device ofaudio system 100, e.g., within first memory 116 of first wearable audiodevice 102 and/or second memory 140 of first peripheral device 104.Additionally, it should be appreciated that template data 188 mayutilize a predefined look-up table of data values which maps eachpotential data slot template to an integer value or short string of datato reduce the amount of required data to maintain this information ineach communication. Utilization of increment data 186 and template data188 allows for each device within audio system 100 to transition at thesame time, i.e., within the same data frame, preventing data lossbetween devices having different data slot templates. As recited in theexample above, the decrementing of increment data 186 described abovemay start with a non-zero integer value. The initial value of incrementdata 186 is a representation of the number of bytes, for example, thatthe encoder has already encoded but has not transmitted yet. This way,the starting integer value for increment data 186 matches the numberbytes of encoded data that have not been encoded using the new data slottemplate. Thus, any packets of data having used, e.g., voice-centricdata slot template 160 for encoding may be sent using the old encodingscheme and will time up the switch to the new data slot template, e.g.,audio-centric slot template 158.

During operation of audio system 100, first communication module 108 offirst wearable audio device 102 and/or second communication module 134of first peripheral device 104 are arranged to establish a simultaneousbi-directional communication connection, i.e., first connection 146, tosend voice data 130 and audio data 132 between first wearable audiodevice 102 and first peripheral device 104. First connection 146 betweenfirst wearable audio device 102 and first peripheral device 104 isestablished via a first protocol, i.e., first communication protocol148. First connection 146 may be utilized to establish first data stream150. Initially, the devices within audio system 100 may be in a criticallistening state 176, i.e., where the user would like an enhanced audioexperience, and therefore, first data stream 150 may utilizeaudio-centric data slot template 158 or an audio-only data slot template(i.e., where first data stream 150 is utilized to send and receive onlyaudio data 132). Upon receiving voice input 122 from first sensor 120 offirst wearable audio device 102, additional sensor 128, and/or secondsensor 144 of first peripheral device, first sensor 120 or second sensor144 are arranged to switch from inactive state 126 to active state 124and generate, e.g., voice data 130. The switch from inactive state 126to active state 124 and/or the receipt of voice data 130 is utilized by,for example, first peripheral device 104 to direct all devices (e.g.,first wearable audio device 102) connected to audio system 100 to switchfrom critical listening state 176 to a non-critical listening state 178.In one example, the switch from the critical listening state to thenon-critical listening state 178 may correspond to a switch fromaudio-centric data slot template 158 or an audio-only data slottemplate, to voice-centric data slot template 160 or a voice-only dataslot template.

As discussed above, the transition from audio-centric data slot template158 to voice-centric data slot template 160 may take place over aplurality of data frames, where each data frame is sent or receivedsequentially. For example, within first data frame 180, control slot 162has increment data 186 corresponding to the integer “2”, and templatedata 188 indicates the current data template is audio-centric data slottemplate 158 and the future data template is voice-centric data slottemplate 160. Within second data frame 182, which is sent or receivedafter first data frame 180, increment data 186 is decremented oneinteger value and is now the integer “1” and template data 188 indicatesthe current data template is audio-centric data slot template 158 andthe future data template is voice-centric data slot template 160. Withinthird data frame 184, which is sent or received after second data frame182, increment data 186 is decremented one integer value and is now “0”.Since increment data 186 indicates the integer value “0”, template data188 now indicates the current data slot template is voice-centric datatemplate 160 and the future slot template can correspond to any one ofthe other data slot templates of plurality of data slot templates 156.Thus, after the foregoing transition, the user will experience anenhanced or heightened bit rate for voice data 130 when the user isspeaking, and a heightened bit rate for voice data 130 when the user isspeaking. It should be appreciated that 2 or more data frames may beused in the transition between listening states described herein.Additionally, in the event that more data frames are utilized aproportional amount of integers may be utilized to decrement during eachsubsequent data frame such that all devices receiving thesecommunications may transition simultaneously without data loss.

It should be appreciated that an equivalent transition can take placewhen transitioning from, for example, voice-centric data slot template160 to audio-centric data slot template 158. In one example, after apredetermined amount of time or predetermined amount of data frameswhere no voice input 122 or voice data 130 is received by first sensor120 and/or second sensor 144, i.e., the user is not speaking, it may bedesirable to switch or transition back to a critical listening state 176from non-critical listening state 178. In other words, after apredetermined amount of time, it may be desirable to switch back fromthe voice-centric data slot template 160 to audio-centric data slottemplate 158. Audio system 100 may utilize a similar transition asdescribed above with respect to first data frame 180, second data frame182, and third data frame 184, such that all devices in audio system 100transition from voice-centric data slot template 160 back toaudio-centric data slot template 158. It should also be appreciatedthat, after or between each of the foregoing transitions between dataslot templates, template data 188 does not need to indicate a futuredata slot template and can be left blank.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method according to the present disclosure, i.e.,method 200. Method 200 can include, for example: establishing a firstconnection 146 between a first wearable audio device 102 and a firstperipheral device 104, the first wearable device 102 or the firstperipheral device 104 being operational in a critical listening state176 and a non-critical listening state 178 (step 202); establishing,when the first wearable audio device 102 or the first peripheral device104 is in the critical listening state 176, a first data stream 150within the first connection 146, the first data stream 150 establishedusing a first communication protocol 148, the first communicationprotocol 148 having an audio-centric data slot template 158 (step 204);and, establishing, when the first wearable device 102 or the firstperipheral device 104 is in the non-critical listening state 178, thefirst data stream 150 within the first connection 148, the first datastream 150 established using the first communication protocol 148, thefirst communication protocol 148 having a voice-centric data slottemplate 160 (step 206). Optionally, method 200 may also include:transitioning the first wearable audio device 102 or first peripheraldevice 104 from the critical listening state 176 to the non-criticallistening state 178 when the first sensor 120 receives the voice input122 (step 208). An additional optional method step within method 200includes: decreasing, via an audio encoder AE of the first wearableaudio device 102, a bit rate of a first audio data 132 when the firstsensor 120 receives the voice input 122 (step 210).

All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood tocontrol over dictionary definitions, definitions in documentsincorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the definedterms.

The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in thespecification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to thecontrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in theclaims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements soconjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some casesand disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with“and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” ofthe elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be presentother than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause,whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should beunderstood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. Forexample, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall beinterpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, butalso including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and,optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated tothe contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when usedin the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactlyone element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or”as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusivealternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded byterms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or“exactly one of.”

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “atleast one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should beunderstood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more ofthe elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including atleast one of each and every element specifically listed within the listof elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the listof elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally bepresent other than the elements specifically identified within the listof elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether relatedor unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to thecontrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one stepor act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarilylimited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method arerecited.

In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitionalphrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,”“containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are tobe understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limitedto. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consistingessentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases,respectively.

The above-described examples of the described subject matter can beimplemented in any of numerous ways. For example, some aspects may beimplemented using hardware, software or a combination thereof. When anyaspect is implemented at least in part in software, the software codecan be executed on any suitable processor or collection of processors,whether provided in a single device or computer or distributed amongmultiple devices/computers.

The present disclosure may be implemented as a system, a method, and/ora computer program product at any possible technical detail level ofintegration. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent disclosure.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present disclosure may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider). In some examples, electronic circuitry including, forexample, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays(FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computerreadable program instructions by utilizing state information of thecomputer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present disclosure.

Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to examples of thedisclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

The computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a, special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, create means for implementing thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks. These computer readable program instructions may also be storedin a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, aprogrammable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to functionin a particular manner, such that the computer readable storage mediumhaving instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufactureincluding instructions which implement aspects of the function/actspecified in the flowchart and/or block diagram or blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousexamples of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Other implementations are within the scope of the following claims andother claims to which the applicant may be entitled.

While various examples have been described and illustrated herein, thoseof ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of othermeans and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining theresults and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and eachof such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scopeof the examples described herein. More generally, those skilled in theart will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials,and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and thatthe actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations willdepend upon the specific application or applications for which theteachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or beable to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, manyequivalents to the specific examples described herein. It is, therefore,to be understood that the foregoing examples are presented by way ofexample only and that, within the scope of the appended claims andequivalents thereto, examples may be practiced otherwise than asspecifically described and claimed. Examples of the present disclosureare directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit,and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two ormore such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods,if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods arenot mutually inconsistent, is included within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of data management, the methodcomprising: establishing a first connection between a first wearableaudio device and a first peripheral device, the first wearable audiodevice or the first peripheral device being operational in a criticallistening state and a non-critical listening state; establishing, whenthe first wearable audio device or the first peripheral device is in thecritical listening state, a first data stream within the firstconnection, the first data stream established using a firstcommunication protocol, the first communication protocol having anaudio-centric data slot template; and, establishing, when the firstwearable audio device or the first peripheral device is in thenon-critical listening state, the first data stream within the firstconnection, the first data stream established using the firstcommunication protocol, the first communication protocol having avoice-centric data slot template.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst wearable audio device or first peripheral device further comprisesa first sensor arranged to receive a voice input.
 3. The method of claim2, further comprising: transitioning the first wearable audio device orfirst peripheral device from the critical listening state to thenon-critical listening state when the first sensor receives the voiceinput.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the transitioning occurs over aplurality of data frames.
 5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:decreasing, via an audio encoder of the first wearable audio device, abit rate of a first audio data when the first sensor receives the voiceinput.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio-centric data slottemplate or the voice-centric data slot template comprises at least oneslot corresponding to sensor data from another sensor located on or inthe portable electronic device.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein theaudio-centric data slot template and the voice-centric data slottemplate comprise a plurality of data slots, where each data slot isassociated with voice data obtained from a first sensor on the firstperipheral device or the first wearable audio device, or audio dataobtained from the first peripheral device.
 8. The method of claim 7,wherein the audio-centric data slot template comprises a first data slotcorresponding to a first audio data, a second data slot corresponding toa second audio data, and a third data slot corresponding to a firstvoice data.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the voice-centric dataslot template comprises a first data slot corresponding to a first audiodata, a second data slot corresponding to a first voice data, and athird data slot corresponding to a second voice data.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first peripheral device comprises: a firstprocessor and a first memory arranged to execute and store,respectively, a set of non-transitory computer readable instructions,the first memory further arranged to store the audio-centric data slottemplate and the voice-centric data slot template.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the first peripheral device is arranged to send acontrol packet to the first wearable audio device indicating that thefirst peripheral device is using the audio-centric data slot template orthe voice-centric data slot template.
 12. An audio system for managingdata, the system comprising: a first wearable audio device arranged toconnect, via a first connection, to a first peripheral device, the firstconnection comprising a first data stream over a first protocol, thefirst data stream arranged to utilize a voice-centric data slot templateor an audio-centric data slot template; wherein, at least the firstwearable audio device is arranged to operate in a critical listeningstate or a non-critical listening state where the critical listeningstate corresponds with the audio-centric data slot template and thenon-critical listening state corresponds with the voice-centric dataslot template.
 13. The audio system of claim 12, wherein the firstwearable audio device or first peripheral device further comprises afirst sensor arranged to receive a voice input.
 14. The audio system ofclaim 13, wherein the first wearable audio device and the firstperipheral device are arranged to transition from the critical listeningstate to the non-critical listening state when the first sensor receivesthe voice input.
 15. The audio system of claim 14, wherein thetransition occurs over a plurality of data frames.
 16. The audio systemof claim 13, wherein the first wearable audio device comprises an audioencoder, the audio encoder arranged to decrease a bit rate of a firstaudio data when the first sensor receives the voice input.
 17. The audiosystem of claim 12, wherein the audio-centric data slot template and thevoice-centric data slot template comprise a plurality of data slots,where each data slot is associated with voice data obtained from asensor on the first peripheral device or the first wearable audiodevice, or audio data obtained from the first peripheral device.
 18. Theaudio system of claim 17, wherein the audio-centric data slot templatecomprises a first data slot corresponding to a first audio data, asecond data slot corresponding to a second audio data, and a third dataslot corresponding to a first voice data.
 19. The audio system of claim17, wherein the voice-centric data slot template comprises a first dataslot corresponding to a first audio data, a second data slotcorresponding to a first voice data, and a third data slot correspondingto a second voice data.
 20. The system of claim 1, wherein theaudio-centric data slot template or the voice-centric data slot templatecomprises at least one slot corresponding to sensor data from anothersensor located on or in the portable electronic device.
 21. The audiosystem of claim 12, wherein the first peripheral device comprises: afirst processor and a first memory arranged to execute and store,respectively, a set of non-transitory computer readable instructions,the first memory further arranged to store the audio-centric data slottemplate and the voice-centric data slot template.
 22. The audio systemof claim 21, wherein the first peripheral device is arranged to senddata from a control slot to the first wearable audio device indicatingthat the first peripheral device is using the audio-centric data slottemplate or the voice-centric data slot template.